Indoor Garden Tips

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Indoor Garden Tips

Plants grown indoors provide a feeling of peace, but they serve a more important purpose. The building materials that your home or office is constructed from give off minute amounts of chemicals. Plants have the ability to clean the air inside these buildings, removing indoor pollutants and chemicals. They don't just provide beauty; they give humidity and oxygen to their surroundings. When you make the decision to start indoor gardening, you're also helping to improve your living conditions.

Water and Food

Fertilize your indoor plants regularly so that they get important nutrients, but be sure to follow directions. Your plants can be damaged by overuse of fertilizers. A large variety lets you choose plant-specific fertilizer or a general fertilizer suitable for most plants. Convenience is offered in the form of once-a-month sticks and liquid fertilizers. Over-watering and under-watering can damage plants. If your plants seem to have yellowing or decaying leaves, they may be getting too much water. To help with drainage, try putting small pebbles in the bottom of the container before potting the plant. Use a humidifier in winter to add needed moisture into the dry air caused by home heating systems.

Learn About Diseases

Learn as much as possible about the types of plants you are growing. You'll be able to learn about the different diseases that affect indoor plants, such as root rot, a fungal disease that causes roots to rot and die. Learn about the symptoms and treatments of this and other diseases.

Plant Placement

If your home has lots of natural light, you should be able to place your plants almost anywhere. Some plants do best in bright light, while others prefer mid-level or low light. If you don't have a lot of natural light, there are products available to help bring light to your plants. Produced for the sole purpose of use on indoor plants, plant grow lights have become popular. You should be able to find them in stock at a hardware or home improvement store or at nurseries. You may opt to fill your home with low-light indoor plants, such as the peace lily, a plant that prefers low light and even does well in deep shade. Another low-light lover is the Chinese evergreen, which comes in many varieties.

About this Author

Leigh Kelley is a freelance writer who provides SEO Web copy to industry leading companies. Her work has appeared in publications such as "Bullys Magazine" and "Jonesboro Sun." Kelley earned a bachelor's degree in English from Arkansas State University.